Why you should not use photos except to save time.

If you use photos for texturing, there is certainly nothing wrong with it, and using textures in a creative way is really an artform all its own. With that said, though, there is a real downside to using photographs within your work. Art is largely about identifying and translating shapes from nature or reference or wherever to the canvas be it digital or traditional. Learning to identify shapes, edge types, and the way light behaves is the foundation of good art. When you use photos you skip this vital learning process and just slap a texture in, and voila a few tweaks some clever blending and you're done. This does not help you the next time you want to paint something similar or add to your toolbox in terms of recognition and draftsmanship within your paintings or drawings. When doing concept art sometimes we simply don't have the time to paint everything and are even asked to use photos. So in that sense you don't have a choice but in the context of painting and getting better at painting, it is essential that you know how to paint a texture before using a photo to save time. Don't use a texture that you cannot paint. Also before you texture your values and forms should really be indicated. Relying on photos instead of learning to paint will only help you stay in the mediocre realm of painting. If you want to get truly great, you must learn to indicate and that is a heavily personal process, and almost can't be taught. You have to figure out how to transpose shapes and textures from one place to another. It is a mental process that is all your own. Digitally custom brushes can help, but you really should be able do most things with a regular round brush. We all have a tendency to use a lot of custom brushes, but in my experience looking at painters that I love, most of them use a small set of brushes based on the basics, whether in Photoshop or whatever software. They simply learned to paint, just as someone who paints on a canvas. The trick and the quickest way to mastery in painting is study and learning to indicate what you see. Tricks and shortcuts will hinder you and really force you to take the long way around. Use them to save time on a job if you need to, but really devote time and yourself to learning to actually paint. When you can paint anything you have no limits or crutches, and can be fearless and really get playful with your art. People will notice. Best Wishes and in the words of Bob Ross....Happy Painting..... D